


Another Time

by ROSSELLA1



Category: Hannibal (TV), Peter Pan & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-12 04:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ROSSELLA1/pseuds/ROSSELLA1
Summary: Once upon a time, a boy named Peter Pan came to get Wendy for Spring Cleaning, only to find out she was dead. After becoming trapped in England, he grew up to become Will Graham. Now, having been betrayed by his best friend, that man is going home. Post season 2, ignores season 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hannibal or Peter Pan. Or any of their characters.

It’s nighttime when he lands. He is glad he came. Something is definitely wrong. There are strange things in the streets that move without horses and have lights shining out of them. Fairy magic perhaps? But no; Tink would have told him. She hadn’t wanted him to come, though. Something about Wendy not being there. Peter had put it down to jealousy. But maybe the fairies were up to something… Well, he’d soon find out. Wendy would tell him and then he would know. 

There’s no light shining through the nursery window. This is something else that isn’t right. Wendy always has a nightlight lit. The window is open, but there is a netting across the inside. He easily slashes through it, but how odd… 

Once inside, Peter glances around, the nursery is different. There is one large bed, as opposed to three. The nightlights are gone. No toys litter the floor. The furniture is unfamiliar. And there is a strange black box where the toy box used to be. 

Thoroughly confused, Peter tiptoes over to the bed. What he sees scares him. There’s no Wendy. No Jane. Not even a Margaret. Instead, there’s a man and a woman, asleep where there should be a Darling. But maybe the woman is a Darling. Peter’s horrible at keeping time, after all. Perhaps he’s missed more Spring Cleaning’s than he thought. Perhaps this is Margaret’s daughter. And perhaps she has a daughter of her own. One who will come and help him with the Spring Cleaning. The thought brings a smile to his face and he bends down next to the woman. 

“Psst!” She doesn’t move. “Psst!” This time he pokes her cheek and she mutters something in her sleep. “Wake up! It’s Spring Cleaning time.” Finally, the woman turns over and blinks up at him. Peter smiles. “Who are you?” 

And the woman screams. Peter stumbles backward in shock and, next to the woman, the man shoots up. “What the- Oh shit! There’s a kid!” 

“What are you doing in our house?” The woman snaps, tossing aside the covers and rising to her feet. 

“I’m calling the bobbies!” The man says, reaching for the phone next to her. 

“I-it’s Sp-spring Cleaning time!” Peter stutters. 

“What the bloody hell are you playing at?” The woman asks. “You can’t be here!” 

“I’m looking for Wendy. Or Jane. Or Margaret. I’ve come to take them to Neverland.” 

“They’re on there way.” The man says. “Now, young man-” 

“I’m not a man!” Peter snaps. “I’m a boy! The greatest boy who ever lived!” 

Something about the way he says this seems to make the woman relax. “Well, greatest boy who ever lived, what are you doing in our house?”   
“I’m looking for Wendy. Or Jane. Or Margaret.” Peter repeats. 

This time, something flickers in the woman’s eyes. “Margaret?” She whispers. Then turns to the man. “Margaret. Wasn’t that the woman who-?” 

“I think so.” The man grouses. “Margaret hasn’t lived here in a long time.” 

“Well, where is she?” Peter asks impatiently. He’s had enough surprises and he wants to take Margaret or her daughter back to Neverland.” 

“She died. It was-” 

But Peter can’t hear what either person says after that. She had died. Margaret was dead. And he hadn’t been there to fly up with her to Heaven. She must have been scared. And he wasn’t there. And these people weren’t her family. There were no Darlings here. Perhaps there never would be again. And though he won’t say or think these words as a calming technique for quite some time, he is Peter Pan. He is in London. And his whole world has collapsed. 

…. 

Men in uniforms take him away in something called a lorry. It’s three days before he’s willing to speak. He has seen people die. He’s killed quite a few of them himself. But they were pirates. Occasionally a Lost Boy would die, but there were always more of those. But there would never be another Darling. These thoughts turn through his mind during those three days, drowning out the rest of the world. On the fourth day, Peter asks the people who bring him food about Wendy and Jane. At first they have no idea who he is talking about. Then, they come back later with the news that they are also dead. It is a week before he nexts talks. By this time, he does not trust those whom he has come to view as his captors. They only bring him bad news and bad feelings. And they are grown-ups. He gives his name as Will because he does not trust them to know his real name. He does not talk about Neverland. He only tries to find a way to leave. But he is under lock and key and cannot find a way out. 

His name is Peter Pan. He is told that Margaret died in 1990 and that this is 1995. He is being held against his will in something called a station. 

…. 

His captors take him to some place where there are other children. They tell him that he can live there until his parents come to get him. He tells them that he lives alone and wants to go home. They don’t believe him. They keep him inside for what they refer to as a few months, but feels like forever. It would have been a week, they say, but every time he gets even close to an exit, he tries to escape. He wants to go back to Neverland. Where Tink is. Where the Lost Boys are (there’re not as many of them now but enough to divert his attention from the deaths of the Darlings). Where he can lose himself in battles with pirates. Hook is alive, having carved the crocodile open with his hook. What are enemies for, if not to provide distraction and entertainment? But the windows and doors are locked and, with nothing to entertain himself with, Peter focuses only on his memories of his surrogate mothers. As time passes, Peter loses the ability to concentrate on anything else. By the time they let him outside, he lacks the motivation to fly back to Neverland. 

His name is Peter Pan. The year is 1995 and he is living in some place called an orphanage. 

…. 

A year later, Peter is still living in the orphanage. He can still fly. He tries it now and then, but the thought of returning to Neverland is still there, but it is only a fleeting fancy now. By the time his grief had worn off Peter had made new friends, new connections. And while he still misses his old life, there is a certain appeal to the new one. There is a magic about the world he now lives in. People can talk with one another from miles away. The black box that was in the Darling’s old home is called a telly and it tells stories, just as the Darlings did, only with pictures. The moving boxes are called lorries and cars. And school...it is no longer the dreaded place he thought it was, but a place where he learns things he never knew he never knew. 

He has settled into this life when an American couple called the Grahams stop by one day. While Peter is still distrustful of adults, these two seem so kind that he begins to open up to them. After several visits, they announce that they want to adopt him. After the paperwork has been filled out, he goes with them to America. 

He still thinks of himself as Peter Pan, but to the world, he is Will Graham. The year is 1996 and he lives in Louisiana, U.S.A. 

…. 

Several years pass. Mrs. Graham left a year or so after the adoption, leaving him with Mr. Graham. Who is a less than stellar father, but still a father. Will does well in school and he’s won a full-ride to George Washington University. He decides to go for a career in law enforcement. Since his advent to the world, he has been fascinated in other people and the way they think. This career choice will allow him to use that in a way to help others. And (if he’s completely honest himself) it’ll give him a way to retain his old identity. He now considers himself Will Graham, but he hasn’t forgotten his old life. Chasing serial killers and other criminals isn’t so different than fighting pirates. 

His name is Will Graham. The year is 2003 and he is on the way to becoming a college student. 

…. 

He becomes a cop. Then a Special Investigator. But these careers lead him uncomfortably close to the abyss. He had pursued this line of work as a way to fight pirates but it is something completely different. Pirates had been straight-forward (or had his child’s mind merely perceived them that way?). They stole because they wanted gold or goods. They hurt people either to get what they want, for sport, or for revenge. They were simply evil. In this world, the killers are complex and human and the line between good and evil is blurred. He settles on teaching others about it. 

His name is Will Graham. It’s the year 2012 and, for the first time since Neverland, he thinks he’s doing alright. 

…. 

He’s only teaching for a year when Jack Crawford asks him to consult on the Minnesota Shrike case. Will isn’t thrilled about being pushed back into the field. But he does it anyway. And it turns out horrible. There was a time when killing wouldn’t bother him. But that was a long time ago. He comes out of it with hallucinations and a surrogate daughter. 

And a friend. Will initially dislikes Hannibal, but comes to see him as a equal. For the first time, there is someone who seems to understand him completely. Someone he can trust. And Will needs someone he can trust. In the ensuing months, he feels increasingly unstable. He’s loosing time and hallucinating. He’s losing his sense of reality. But Hannibal is a stabilizing influence. 

He’s Will Graham. The year is 2013 and, while he’s almost certain he’s losing his mind, he trusts that Hannibal will keep him anchored. 

…. 

His trust is misplaced. Abigail’s dead. Along with countless others. And Hannibal has framed him for the murders. His name is Will Graham. The year is 20134. He’s in Baltimore State Asylum. And he feels like the ground has disintegrated beneath him. 

…. 

Eventually he is released. Will decides to put Hannibal away at all costs. At least that’s how it begins. But, as time goes on, he feels he’s losing himself. Will enjoys pretending to kill. And when Randall Tier attacks him. Will enjoys actually killing him. He tries to hate Hannibal, but he’s finding it more and more difficult to do so. And Will feels as if he is losing himself. He tries to be strong, remembering all the people Hannibal has killed. Remembering Beverly. Remembering Abigail. But the lines are blurring. It is getting hard to see where Will ends and Hannibal begins. 

Will keeps his word to Jack. He plans Hannibal’s arrest and takes all the necessary steps. It should go off without a hitch. But Will can’t let that happen. He wants so much to leave with Hannibal. But Will holds onto any sense of self he has left. He stays. But he calls Hannibal first to warn him. And then he goes to the dinner. 

Seeing Abigail changes everything. Will still has enough of himself to know what he is feeling is wrong. But a big part of him wants to turn back the clock. To have left earlier with Hannibal. And, as he now knows, Abigail. But it is too late. He watches in horror as Hannibal separates himself from Will, pulling Will into an embrace and stabbing him, before slicing their daughter’s throat. 

His name is Will Graham. It’s 2014 and his world has once again shattered. 

…. 

When he wakes up, Abigail is dead. His other self has fled with someone else. Will’s torn between guilt at betraying Hannibal and self-hatred for feeling this way. For letting himself become so immersed in Hannibal that he lost himself and his moral compass. Will yearns for a simpler time. When good was good and bad was bad and Will’s actions hurt only himself. 

His name is Will Graham. But it was Peter Pan. He couldn’t care less what time or year it is. And he’s going back to Neverland. 


	2. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I do not own Hannibal or Peter Pan or any of their characters. Oh, and I suppose I should say now that this'll have elements of Peter Pan the movies and the books and stuff that works. I know that, in the book, the Tribal people are called the Piccanninny tribe. However, as far as I can tell, the term seems to have no connection to a real-life tribe and is derived from the affectionate Portuguese term, pequeno. As it has evolved into a racist term, they won't be called the Piccaninny tribe in this fic. J.M Barrie compared them to the Lenni-Lenape and the Wyandot (although was clear that they were not either of these) so they will probably end up being some type of Native American tribe, but that is for another chapter.

The sun is shining when Will arrives at the island. And everything looks exactly as he left it. Tears come to his eyes as he thinks, ‘Home’. He sails over the waters and cliffs and the forest before he turns back and lands in the clearing where the underground home is. Will’s tree is now too small for him, but Will finds that Slightly’s old tree works rather nicely. He wishes he could say he’s surprised to see that it’s empty, but it’s been years and, Neverland has its dangers. Any Lost Boys must have either grown-up or died. Will feels a twinge of guilt. After all, he was their leader. But he was a boy and he had his own life to live. Has. 

The NeverTree has shot through the ceiling. It’s much too thick to cut down, so Will sets about cutting hand and foot holds in it. Other than that, it’s like walking into a memory. Various weapons, among which is his old sword, are dumped by the fireplace. They need polishing, but they’ll do for now. Cots and rugs lay on the floor and hammocks hang from the ceiling. A hodgepodge of chipped plates and cups are in a dusty cabinet. Wendy’s rocking chair is in the corner. What Will now recognizes as _La jeune fille à l'agneau_ hangs by a vine in the corner. Will remembers stealing it from some old beekeeper because the girl reminded him of Maimie Mannering, who had refused to come to Neverland with him. He and the lost boys used it for knife-throwing practice and he’s both amused and horrified to see that it is littered with slits. Rather vindictively, Will thinks of how horrified Hannibal would be to see it. The chest of drawers that once served as Michael’s crib is missing several drawers and Will thinks he spies some suspiciously similar looking wood in the firewood heap. In other words, it feels like home. Will sets his bags down and unpacks. Perhaps it’s strange that Peter Pan packed to come to Neverland, but he’s grown used to modern conveniences and he’s not ready to give everything up.His next order of business is to go to fairies. He was unable to bring his dogs with him on this initial journey, as he did not have any fairy dust. Will simply wasn’t strong enough to carry them for miles on end. But he wouldn’t abandon them. 

The fairies recognize him instantly (being too wise and magical to let something as simple as age to fool them). He is sad to hear that Tink died long ago, but also unsurprised. Fairies don’t live for very long and Tink was already of an age older than many fairies ever lived to see when Peter had left. The other fairies, silly little things, chatter about little inane events. He can’t get a word out of them about anything regarding the Lost Boys or the Tribe, or even the pirates. Well, he’ll soon find out on his own. They send several fairies with him back to Wolf Trap, where they enchant his dogs and some extra luggage to fly with him back to Neverland. 

Before he leaves, Will leaves a note: Gone back to Neverland. Don’t worry about me. 

It’s rather impetuous of him, but returning to his childhood home has infected him with a childish spirit and, somehow, he can’t resist. 

He and the dogs get to the island at night and, after a quick dinner of kibble for the dogs and cold Campbell’s for Will (‘Hannibal would be horrified.’ Will thinks, before pushing the thoughts of his other self away), Will collapses on the ragged bear skin in the middle of the floor, with his dogs around him. He’ll need to construct some type of cabin or house above ground, for the dogs’ sake. Or find a way to make stairs up to the surface. But that can wait. For now, Will’s content to lay there, with the sounds of the beasts overhead and the tinkle of fairies in the air. 

….. 

Will wakes up around midnight to the sound of his dogs growling. Leaping up, Will grabs his old sword and turns towards the entrance that they are barking at. Silently, a figure emerges from Wendy’s old tree. It’s a woman. An...Indian? Native American? Peter had never bothered to figure out where they really came from. A beautiful woman. That Will thinks he should know but can’t place. 

The woman straightens up, a dagger in her hand and righteous anger in her eyes. She looks at the sword he is holding and the anger increases. In her native tongue, she spits, “That is not yours! This place is not yours!” 

Will takes her in and sees a familiar headband around her forehead. Lowering his sword, he smiles. “All these years and you never even changed the feather?” He replies in her language. 

She tilts her head to the side, confusion mingling with her irritation. “Who are you?” 

“Don’t you recognize me?” Will asks, a mischievous smile gracing his face. He rolls up his sleeve to show the scars Hook gave him on that day at the rock, all those years ago. Disbelief fills her face, but it’s soon replaced with a grin, as she sheaths her dagger and darts forward to embrace him. “I’ve missed you, Tiger Lily.” Will says, wrapping his arms around her. 


	3. Interim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I do not own Hannibal or Peter Pan or any of their characters. If you do not want to read an English Major’s long-winded reasoning behind what’s probably going to be a rarely mentioned part of the plot, it is best to skip ahead to the chapter now. It has been difficult to decide what tribe to make the Native Americans in this fic. Part of this is because, interested though I am in Native American culture, I would need to devote at least a week before having even a shallow understanding of each tribe’s culture. Were I writing a book, I would devote that time, but, as I’m only getting paid in reviews, I cannot take time away from work to conduct so much research. Another reason it was difficult is because the canonical Tribe’s traits are a bunch of racial stereotypes thrown together and so, if one tribe looks promising in one aspect, another aspect rules it out. Wendy’s referred to as “Squaw” and that word has it’s origins from the Algonquian language (although it has since been used in various ways that promote racial stereotyping). The Native Americans in the book are said to use tomahawks, which were apparently invented by the Algonquians. Oliver Herford drew Tiger Lily with her iconic headdress in 1907 and it seems that that type of headdress was worn by the Abenaki people, who were/are Algonquian (although many Native American Tribes used/use headdresses for various purposes). However, from what I can tell, the women tended the field, which contrasts with Tiger Lily being a skilled warrior and important leader (I mean, seriously, I don’t think her father even makes an appearance in the book). They live in wigwams, which many tribes seem to, so that was next to no help. They seem to believe in a Happy Hunting Ground, which I can’t seem to pin down to one specific tribe and may or may not have originated from the Early Settlers telling the Native Americans of the Christian Heaven. They also use the word, papoose, which seems to have originated with the Narragansett tribe, which is also Algonquian. As you can see, what evidence there is (operating under the notion that it is evidence and not J.M Barrie being racist or ignorant of Native American culture) leans towards some type of Algonquian tribe. As I’m unable to narrow down an exact match, in this fic, I will be claiming they are an offshoot of the Algonquian people (which actually can be used to refer to several tribes). Of course, many of these tribes weren’t as warlike as the book portrays them, but from what I can tell they weren’t 100% peaceful either. They had their enemies and, like all nations I can think of, went to war at times. if I were looking at them as an actual tribe instead of a fictional tribe, I’d think either that (it being told from a childish perspective) the story recorded the exciting parts (fighting) instead of the day-to-day routine (farming and hunting) or the Tribe became more warlike out of necessity. Neverland’s not described as a safe place. There’re pirates, tigers, lions, bears, and serial killing children out there, so anyone who survives there would need to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice. So, anyway, that’s my reasoning. Not sure how much the Native Americans will be involved in the story, as the prompt focuses more on Hook, Hannibal, and Will/Peter, but I felt that, as the Native Americans were such an important part of the book, Peter Pan, they needed to at least be included and in a much more realistic way than in the book because of political correctness and it crosses over into a show that’s realistic and because….well, I just noticed my note already takes up over a page so any other debates can be conducted through PMs if anyone wants to hear more and isn’t bored with my reasonings. On with the story!

****

While Will is invited to an impromptu feast by Chief TIger Lily (her father having passed on years ago), several things are happening on the island and off it. On the island, Will’s dogs are left in the underground home, wondering why their master has gone off with a strange woman. The fairies are still in an uproar over Peter’s return and are hosting several parties of their own (although the forgetful little things haven’t thought to invite Peter). The beasts continue their march around the island. In the waters surrounding the island, Jas Hook has been informed by his scouts about the arrival of a strange man on the island and, while curious, he is not perturbed. After all, Neverland is an in between place and strange things and people often find their way to the island. Still, he files the information away in his brain for further use. 

Off the island and well away from its waters, in another world entirely, a man sits at a computer. He is accompanied by a lovely blonde woman, but he seems only slightly aware of her presence, his mind being focused on the screen and the curious contents of the web page. A picture of Will Graham graces the Tattler’s homepage, accompanied by the caption: Will Graham: Kidnapped or Crazy? 

Underneath is an article which, once the speculation of what may or may not have happened to Will Graham is tossed aside, gives a thorough description of the alleged crime scene, complete with photos of the inside of Will’s home and a note that is clearly written in Will’s hand. 

Hannibal would like to think he knows Will better than Will knows himself. However, he must confess that the details in the article confound him. It’s not a kidnapping. A kidnapper would never have taken care to take Will’s dogs, Will’s most precious belongings, and all of Will’s favorite snacks. Besides, there are no signs of forced entry and any burglar would have been attacked by Will’s dogs before they made it to Will, leaving a trace of blood. And there is no sign of a fight. So Will left of his own volition. That would not surprise Hannibal. Hannibal knows that he left as many scars on Will as Will did on him. It would not be unlike Will to disappear. Either to track down Hannibal or to get away from anything that is reminiscent of him. But that note…. “Gone back to Neverland. Don’t worry about me.” 

Hannibal cannot imagine what possessed Will to write such a note and that irks him. However he, unlike the Tattler, has another source of information. Before he had fled, Hannibal had installed hidden cameras in the Graham house. To watch after Will Graham as well as to keep himself aware of the F.B.I’s movements. Hannibal didn’t watch it every day and he had stopped while Will was in the hospital. Now, though, Hannibal glances at the date of discharge listed in the Tattler’s article and accesses the video feed from that day. 

….. 

The feast lasts until the next morning. Will has time to ask Tiger Lily and her tribe (an offshoot of an Algonquian tribe, he finds out), about what has happened in his absence. Will is sad to hear that Tink never stopped looking for him (that fact had slipped the fairies tiny minds). She had flown forth and back, combing the streets of London until, at last, she was too old to make the trip to the world of humans and had died, never knowing what had become of him. Without Peter around, Tiger Lily had slipped out of contact with the Lost Boys, but she knew that at least some had left the island. 

It’s the pirates’ reactions, however, that Will finds the most interesting, though. The pirates had had non-stop celebrations for about a month after Peter’s disappearance. After that, they tapered off. However, since then, Hook and his men had frequent hunting parties, scouring the island for any news of Peter. Will wonders what this means and debates dropping in on his former rival, just to let him know that he has returned. However, he decides that that can wait for a bit. 

Only when the sun begins to rise does Will leave. Tiger Lily urges him to stay, to make his home with them. But Will needs his own space and he knows now that it’s not his friend or his mother that Tiger Lily wants to be. After Hannibal (and Alana), Will’s not ready to trust another person. So, Will goes home to his underground home, collapses in his circle of dogs, and goes to sleep. 

  



End file.
